Aiming to modernize the traditional service bay, Automated Tire Inc. emerged from stealth today to unveil SmartBay, an AI-powered robotic platform that automates tire changes and vehicle inspections. By replacing manual, injury-prone labor with advanced computer vision and robotics, the system can cut service times in half to as little as 30 minutes, said the startup. This enables a single technician to manage three bays simultaneously while addressing a critical national shortage of automotive professionals. “While the auto industry has made great strides with advanced technologies over recent decades, automotive service bays have seen little innovation to match,” said Andy Chalofsky, CEO of Automated Tire. “Most notably, electric vehicles wear through tires up to 30% faster. The proliferation of EVs creates significantly more tire service opportunities, but tire technician jobs are dirty, injury-prone, and difficult to fill.” “Our SmartBay platform gives modern shops a meaningful solution to turn a dangerous, manual chore into a high-tech, automated process that matches the sophistication of the vehicles being serviced,” he added. Automated Tire takes an industry-centered approach Chalofsky, a four-generation “tire man,” said he is approaching the problem from the needs of the industry, rather than “developing a solution in search of a problem.” To that end, Automated Tire’s system is semi-automated in this first generation, with a custom design and optimization. The most notable feature of the SmartBay is that the tires are changed by leaving the wheels attached to the vehicle. This single feature reduces the biggest chunk of the labor cost of the process — removing and installing wheel lug nuts. The machine changes two tires at the same time (front or rear), approaching the vehicle from underneath. The footprint of the machine is also designed to fit into existing service-bay space. A human operator is required to remove the